Join Nelson Hardiman and the American Addiction Treatment Association (AATA) on September 14th for “Patient Financial Responsibility, Understanding Your Rights and Those of Your Patients.” Learn more about how drug treatment programs can legally reduce the cost of programs for those with limited financial means. Lunch immediately follows.
WHEN: September 14th, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM PDT
WHERE: Nelson Hardiman, LLP (Seminar Room)
11835 W. Olympic Blvd., 9th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90064
On paper, the task of billing insurance for addiction treatment services looks like a simple, straightforward aspect of your job. But looks can be deceiving. In actuality, insurance billing—especially where it intersects with patient responsibility—is lately fraught with confusion and studded with potential audits and violations. Figuring out how to walk the line between what’s permissible and what might trigger an insurer’s scrutiny is likely one of the most bewildering aspects of the business.
Because “fingers crossed” or looking the other way never excused anyone from their responsibilities under a contract or under the law, it is absolutely vital that you understand what your responsibilities are. This is where we come in.
If you’re serious about keeping your program compliant, you’re probably asking yourself questions like these:
- Am I violating the law when I’m doing everything in my power to help clients without financial means get treatment?
- What about scholarships? Discounts? Am I allowed to award those to patients in need?
- What kind of marketing is permitted and what kind will leave me vulnerable to violations?
- Are health insurers within their rights when they audit treatment programs for this issue, or are they overreaching and interfering with patient rights to healthcare?
- What are the remedies for programs or patients unjustly impeded by health plans?
- And what are the remedies for the health plans that have actually experienced a type of billing abuse?
You may think that waiving your clients’ financial responsibility equals success for you and the client. After all, among the recovery population are many young people without the means to pay huge deductibles or coinsurance. It’s easy to assume that the insurance company’s deep pockets will cover the portions beyond the patients’ responsibility, even when that responsibility remains unmet.
But health insurers have begun to identify waivers of patient financial responsibility as a form of fraud and abuse, some launching widespread audits to determine whether treatment programs have violated health plan contracts…or the law.
Some of the topics the seminar will cover:
- The entities who are actively searching for abusive billing and marketing practices;
- Ways to secure insurance without putting yourself at risk;
- Recent enforcement trends and how they may affect you;
- The new complexity around urine drug testing and how you can stay compliant;
- What false, misleading or deceptive claims look like;
- Common marketing pitfalls and how to avoid them (including the gray area in hiring marketers);
- How to maintain client privacy while marketing your program;
- Call centers, bed vouchers, written consent and more.
Join us for this timely seminar and learn how to steer clear of potential insurance billing or marketing minefields. Lunch immediately follows, as well as the opportunity to speak with the presenter and network with your peers.
Event Fee: $95
Lunch included